Animated toy



L. M. BUTTERFIELD May 15, 1928.

ANIMATED TOY Filed March 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented May 15, .1928.

I inmate LOUIS M, B T ERFIELD, on RAYMOND, NEW AMrjsirrRn'AssIGnoR,.mr ivrnsnn As;- srenmnnrs, TO MQVETY royooinraivy or" CORINNA, MAINE, Ai QORIE0RATION- 'OF MAINE.

ANIMATED} :roY'.

Appl icatio'n filed March 18, 1926. Serial No. 95,102.

This. invention relates to a figure toy of the animated type, and has for one of its objects the provision of a novel; simpleandinexpensive device of this character which can be made in imitation ofany quadruped and which shall embody meanshadapted to impart a lifelike walking or'running movement to the toy. i

3 With the foregoing and other objects in:

of Figure 2,-

vertical planes indicated by th'e'line H Figure 5'is a detail sectional view" taken on the vertical' pl'a'ne indicated by. the'line 55 of' Eigure' 4, and

Figure dis a similar view taken on the vertical plane indicatedby tl 1e'"line6 6 of Figure 3.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription, and designated 1 iii, the several" views of the accompanying"drawings by similar reference characters. I

"lhe toycomprises a bodyJAQ; head B, fore 4legs C and hind legs D. The body Ais hollow and preferably made of light sheet metaLand'consistsofa top side 1, lateral The front ends of the lateral sides 2 are-of substantially" sides 2 and rear side 3.

"V-form, and are connected b'y an upward- 1y and rearwardly inclined cross" piece 4. Vertically disposed and. relatively spaced plates 5are located'withi'n andrextend longi tudinally of the body A. The plates 5 are provided attheir bottom edges with outwardly directed flanges 5 which are provided at their outer edges with tongues 5" passing through openings 2 in the lateral Figure 4" is a similar view'takien on" the sides'2 of'the body A -and contacting with the outer surfaces of the sides. The tongues 5P secure the plates 5 to the body A, and the sides 1, 2 and 30f the body are formed integrally. .The rear'side 3 of the body A is secured to the rear edges ofits lateral sides 2111' any suitable-manner. The crosspiece 4 is preferably formed'integrally' with one of thelateral sides 2 of the body A and is-secured to the other of said sides in any suitable manner. The plates 5 are connected together and" maintained in relatively spaced relation byrods 6, 7 ,8 and 9, and v are provided at. their top: edges with upwardl y and outwardl y. extending front lugs 10' and similar rear lugs-11.

I The fore legs C and hind legs D are hol low and preferably made of light sheet metal; The forelegs Gare secured as at 12 .to front levers 1 3, and the hind legs D are secured'asat let to'rear levers 15. le vers'13andi 15 are similar and have their upper ends pivoted as at 16 to the lugs 10 and '11; The pivotsha'fts 16 arejournaled in thelugslO and-11 and pass through the lugs 10 and 11; The levers '13 and 15 pass through openings 18in the flanges 5 and" are provided at their 'lower ends with rollers 19. Tires 20 of rubber or anyother material possessing good" tractive qualities are I mounted on the rollersla. Metal strips it havin g their lower .end portions spaced iron 1' the corresponding portions of the'levers l3 and 15', are secured to the levers by rivets 22 and tie and spacing strips 23. I Shafts 24 upon which the rollers 19 are journaled,

looped upper ends 17 of the levers 13 and I 15, 'said end's of the leversembracing theare carried by the lower endsof the leversfi I 13 and 15van'd'straps 21. Ratchet wheels 25 fix'edto the rollers 19, and pawls'26 pivgot'ed to theleve-rs 1'3 and 15 areheld' by gravity in engagement with thehratchet wheels, permit-the rollers to turn 'd uringthe forwardinovem'ent' of the levers 13 and 15 andhold. the rollers against movementduring their return or rearward movement,- with the result that the toy will have impartedthereto a forward movement. The legs C and D move with the levers 13 and.15,'and due thereto a lifelike walking or runningmovement is imparted to the toy. The le vers 13 and 15 are adapted to be operated through the medium of a shaft 27 provided at its ends with cranks 28 which have an opposite diametric arrangement. The shaft 27 is journaled in. theeplates 5, and the cranks 28 thereof pass through vertical slots 29 in the levers 13. Rollers 30 are journaled on the cranks 28 and extend through the slots29 in contact with the side walls adapted to drive the shaft 27 through gears 35, 36, 37 and 38. Thegear is loose on the shaft 34, and is connected thereto through. themedium of a ratchet wheel 39 and detent 40. The gears 36 and 37 are fixed to a. shaft 41 journaled in the plates 5, and the gear 38 is fixed to the shaft 27. A detent 42 of U-form is slidably mounted on the rod 7 for movement into and out of engagement with the gear 38. r The detent 42 when in engagementwith the gear 38, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 4, holds the crank shaft 27 against rotation by the motor spring 33,"and when it is out of engagement with the gear, as shown by solid lines in said figure, the crank shaft is free for rotation by the motor spring. The detent 42 is supported on the rod 7 by a rod 43 which extends through the rear side 3 of the body A and through the medium of which the detent may be moved into and out of engagement with the gear 38. A key 34, through .the medium of which the motor spring 33 may be wound up, is threadedly connected to the shaft 34.

The head 15 is carried by the bodyA and is mainly supported by the cross piece 4 of the body. struction, and as shown comprises an envelop 44 and a filling of any suitable material. The body A and the legs C and D are provided with covers 45 and 46, respectively, of any suitable material, and the former is also provided with a. padding 47 ofany suitable material.

' Inpractice, after engaging the detent 42 with the gear 38, the motor spring 33 is wound up. The toy is thenplaced on the floor, table or the like, and thereafter the detent 42 is moved out of engagement with the gear 38; As the lower sideof the body A is open, the lower front end of the rod 43 may be readilygrasped when it is desired to move the detent 42 into or out of engage- V of the body Ain opposite directions.

It may be of any suitable cona fulcrum upon which the rod swings during its manipulation to move the detent 421nt0 or out of engagement with the gear .38. The

rotation of the crank shaft 27 by the motor spring 33 alternately swings the levers 13 and 15' and legs C and D at opposite sides As the rollers 19 are free to rotate forwardly and are held against rearward rotation by the detents 26, the swinging of the levers 13 and 15 and legs C and D will move the toy over the supporting surface in a lifelike manner.

It should be understood that the drawings are merely illustrative and do not pretend to give exact proportions. Furthermore, the

said drawings are illustrative of a preferred construction, it being myexpectation that various changes and modifications may be] i made without departing from the spir t and scope of my invention.

WVhat is claimed is 1 1. A toy comprising a body, a pair of. levers pivoted to each side of the body, a link connecting each pair of levers, a crank shaft connected to one lever of-each pair, a motor for operating'the crank shaftand including a gear fixed to the crankshaft,

a rod carried by the body, a U-shaped detent slidably mounted on the rod for movement into and out of engagement with the gear, and a rod passing through'the detent to retain it on the first named rod and providing means by which the detent may be moved into and out of engagement with the, gear.

2. A toy comprising a body, plates vertieally arranged within the body in relatively spacedrelation and in spaced relation'to the sides of the body, said plates being provided at their lower edges with outwardly directed flanges secured to the sides of the body, said plates being provided at their upper edges I with upwardly and outwardly extending lugsand said flanges being provided with :openings, shafts carried by the lugs, a pair of levers positioned between each plate and eachside of the body and passing through the openings in the flanges, said levers being provided with angular upper ends engaging the shaft at opposite sides of the lugs, a link connecting the levers pf each pair, and lever operating means carried by the plates.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Louis M; BUTTERFIELD. 

